Fatherless Friday

**************all these children are available and waiting for a family...http://reecesrainbow.org/



Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious.





So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day


 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice.

And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me.

I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me

There is no place in society for these sweet children where they were born....

But if you look past the exterior into their innocent souls...

You will see them the way God see's them...they way He created them...perfect in every way!

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”


 

what I've been doing lately

Rich got one of these for Christmas.....

Ever since then, we've been doing a lot of this....

 I wasn't crazy about it at first...but then I researched some health benefits of certain vegetables and fruits...you wouldn't believe what's packed in a sweet potato!  Seriously, look it up :)

And it's kind of fun. 

although.....I'd still rather have my sweet potato in this form!  :) :) :)

Oh so yummy!

I made these Paula Deen Pecan Pie Muffins the other day....oh my, were they good!   And you're thinking...'Of course they're good, they're Paula Deen!'...right?!  I don't think I've ever tried anything of hers I didn't like.  Someday I'm going to go to Savannah GA to her restaurant.........someday.  I mean really, you can never have too much BUTTER, right?   :)

http://www.grouprecipes.com/19597/pecan-pie-muffins---paula-deen.html

Fatherless Friday and Remembering Derek Loux

Merry Christmas everyone!  As you go into this blessed holiday weekend hopefully spent with family, friends and loved ones, I want to ask that you keep the fatherless in your thoughts and prayers...the ones who are not loved and cherished...the ones that lay alone day after day.  The ones that have little hope outside of the dear Lord coming to take them home.  Please pray that they are comforted and fed and loved on even a little bit this Christmas season.  But especially please pray that it's their last Christmas alone in the world.    The photo's I leave you with today are the children that didn't make it to their earthly families.  They waited and waited...but time ran out for them.  It didn't have to be that way....PLEASE step out in faith to save one of the 'least of these'...so that they can experience the love of family too.

 Precious Anne Marie...from Artioms orphanage.

 Little Erra....

 Little Ivan.....

Little Sergey....

 Little Alina...

 Little Katerina....

 Little Olga....

 Little Alexander....






And Finally, I leave you with a great man, Derek Loux.  He stepped to the other side to help Jesus with all these children a year ago today.  He was truly one of the best examples of Christian love that I have ever seen.  He LOVED the fatherless with all he had in him.  No matter the cost, no matter the outcome, no matter what the 'return' was.  He just loved.

Heaven has been richer this past year.  Please join me in prayer for his family as they continue the wait to be reunited with this amazing man.  Take a minute to read the post about Redemption that shows a glimpse of Dereks heart...a pure reflection of Gods love.

I know without a doubt upon entering the gates of Heaven Derek heard these words "Well done my good and faithful servant"

http://louxfamilyblog.com/2009/09/a-great-reminder-of-gods-goodness/

Lots of pictures...Toma's bad haircut, gingerbread cookies, Christmas gifts AND Aunt Patti!!! :)

Yikes.  Toma's haircut.  He cut the front himself, I swear!

 Sorry these are in weird order, but I have such a hard time moving them...

 We let the kids open a present tonight, which was some food treats that they don't get all that often.

Making gingerbread cookies a couple weeks ago...

Toma didn't want any part of it...

 Alex and the frosting...what a mix.  (note his hair..sigh...I like it better longer)

 Michaels cookies.

 Another shot of Toma's hair...

 Summers cookie...

Me and Artiom at Thanksgiving....yes, his hair was beautiful that day....(another sigh)

Michael giving me a kiss tonight for his can of peaches :) :)

 Me and the gang,  notice Artiom eating his pudding...it's his favorite thing in the world!  When he opened it tonight, he ran to the silverware drawer and brought me a spoon :)

 yummy, more pudding...

****This is Aunt Patti!!!!!  We'll see if she's still talking to me tomorrow night after posting this....but come on, she's so darn cute!****

And finally, Michael and his chicken in a biskit with cheese spray!  I tell ya, I have easy kids to shop for ;)

Shavers Remorse

I have 'shaving remorse' again.....

yes, I shaved the little boys hair.  I was only going to cut it a little. Artioms hair gets so bad because he stands in his crib and rubs his head back and forth against the crib tent....it turns it into terrible tangles and dread-lock sort of hair.  So after brushing out his tangles everyday I decided it would be MUCH easier to just cut it off.

So, I gave him a nice cut.  But....he still did rubbed it on the crib tent and rubbed it into little tight dread-lock type things.

So, I decided to get the buzzer out...nothing good ever comes from me getting the buzzer out.

I shaved it.  Then Alex looked like 'Cousin It' with his longer locks next to Toma's shaved head.  So he was next.

Now, I'm regretting it.  And just so you know, you CAN shave your hair w/o the buzzer actually being on...Toma did it... right in the front.  And there's not really anything I can do about it other than going right down to the skin, which I am not!  :)  It's close enough already.

So... there probably won't be any Christmas pictures coming on my blog ;)

just thinking out loud

I was just catching up on the blogs of the people traveling right now (in Ukraine) adopting.  When I read those and see the pictures I get transported back in time....to an almost indescribable place in my heart.

 The memories are so deep for me.  So life changing.  So special. 

I want to go back so bad.  I want a little child that has known no mama to run into my arms.  I want to change his or her life...

I find it so depressing to not be going back. 

I can't listen to the music I listened to on the trip....I  just can't.  It's too.... I don't know, deep and meaningful and no place to put it.. kind of thing.

 If you get what I mean...heck, I don't even know if I entirely get it.

But I look at the children that are waiting...and waiting.... and I read the blogs of the families over there now and my heart just screams out..."LORD, send me back!" Please!!!!

Yet, I know tomorrow I'll be no closer to going back than I am tonight. 

I just pray and pray that someday we WILL.

Sweet and funny at the same time :)

My sweet and funny friend Kristin, (you know the whole silly llama thing....) has given a llama to a little tribe in Peru in my name!!!! 

I LOVE IT!

And surely they do too :) :) :)

Thanks Kristin!

Ho Ho Ho!

Here's my santa in my big window :) 

Fatherless Friday

Finally, a picture of little Zara!  And oh, is she beautiful :)  She's been picture-less all this time, but now maybe she'll find her way into her mama's heart. 

 Little Evan has been a favorite of mine for a long time.  He's the one my husband picked out if we go back :)  Hypothetical, of course ;)  But what a sweetie he is!

 This is my Prayer Baby, Andriy.  He has grown and changed so much in the last year, he's a total doll.  We pray for him daily...for his family to find him.

 Michael is one of the cutest little boys I've ever seen.  I mean really, look at that face!  So small and so innocent and so without a family!  :(

And a new picture of Darren!  Wow, has he changed!  SUCH a darling.  I'd go get him in a heartbeat if I could.......please pray for all these kids....alone in the world, with so much love to share.

Adoption is truly a beautiful thing....life changing in the most indescribably beautiful way...as close to Gods love as you can get here on earth, in my opinion.

An honest post....with a little humor ;)

I have NOT been a blessing to be around lately.  I don't know what it is, but I've just turned into a total grinch...and I don't even care. (and this is what I looked like after eating the whole box of truffles)   

 Everybody and everything is getting on my nerves and it shows.  Just ask Rich ;)  

Obviously the blizzard hasn't helped much, I'm SO not a winter person.    Last year at this time we had the Ukraine trip to look forward to and the anticipation of meeting Artiom....

I don't know.  I have always battled the blues, but it's particularily hard to shake lately.  I need something to look forward to.  I need to MOVE SOUTH :)

Seriously, I need to clean up my attitude whether I like it or not.  It's affecting the whole family.  I mean really, look at what it's done to little Toma.....!!!